The Epidemic Continues
by Okwaho Girl
Summary: Summary: The deadly virus that started in the US finds its way to Canada. A group of people try to find a way to escape, while fighting the new branches of the disease and insanity from each other. (I know, it's a lame summary)
1. Prologue

Summary: The deadly virus that started in the US finds its way to Canada. A group of people try to find a way to escape, while fighting the new branches of the disease and insanity from each other. (I know, it's a lame summary)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own DOD nor do I own the zombies (except the Juggernaughts and Vampires). I do own the characters in this fanfic but not the mall or the stores in it, blah, blah, blah and all that other stuff.  
  
A/N: Okay, this is my first fanfic so don't flame me please! It's obviously a continuation of Dawn of the Dead. There's two new zombie types on the loose: Juggernaughts and Vampires (not to be confused with the pale-faced, bloodsuckers of Hollywood). Oh yeah, the original undead things from the movie are called Deadlings. And the romance don't come into play until later chapters. Enjoy!  
  
Prologue: Two New Breeds Emerge  
  
"They've made it inside! Run!"  
The call of terror echoed through the hallways of the veteranarian's offices but was soon overpowered by the rumbling of the Deadlings' decaying feet. They poured through the broken door, the smell of human flesh invading their nostrils and sending their senses into a feeding frenzy. They ran tirelessly in a disorderly mass in search of their prey.  
The tremors they made when they ran traveled through the tiled floor and into separate rooms lining the halls. Glass containers and bottles fell from their shelves and tables, books tumbled to the floor and cages holding a variety of different animals broke, releasing their contents in a noisy mass of fur and feathers.  
In a secure... well, almost secure, part of the building, the operating room, a small group of doctors huddled together in the middle of the room. Each one held some sort of weapon for protection and watched the barricaded door with terror in their eyes.  
"We're all gonna die", one of them whispered fearfully.  
"Shut up, Roy", another snapped, elbowing the first vet in his side, "Nobody likes a scaredy cat."  
Roy kept his mouth shut but his pathetic whimpering refused to cease.The doctors waited, listening to the Deadlings' growls and screeches for food as they came closer and closer to their hiding place.  
Finally, the undead zombies began to pound against the door. All the vets jumped to their feet in defense. They readied their crowbars and pistols. Roy remained seated.  
"Get up already!"  
"What's the difference?" he moaned, "We're finished." He reluctantly rose to his feet.  
One of his colleagues was about to snap at his cowardice when the door gave way and the Deadlings were able to push their way inside. They greedily pounced upon the helpless vets and a short but bloody battle of life and undeath followed. The humans fought with all their might but were overpowered within seconds.  
Meanwhile, Roy had backed into a corner, quivering madly as a gang of the undead creatures advanced on him. They forced him against a tall glass cabinet filled with all sorts of medicine. He stood there, staring into the yellow blood-specked eyes of his predators for one last second of peace. Then they roared and jumped on him, knocking over the cabinet.  
The poor man went down, screaming in agony as they bit and gnawed at every inch of his body, as did the bottles of medicine (without the screaming part. Duh!) The containers rained down onto the floor, shattering on contact and spilling their liquids and pills all over the place. Two such containers, full to the brim with clear liquid, cracked before tumbling into the open skull of a Deadling. They leaked their medicine into its rotting brain. Then, a reaction occured throughout the corpse.  
The Deadling's senses surged with pain as its brain began to burn and slowly melt, releasing the mixed medicine into its blood. A bubbling condition appeared on its thin gray skin. It roared angrily, thrashing wildly and smacking any Deadlings that happen to be in its way. All of a sudden, the infected zombie's skin thickened and became flabby as the creature grew fat and plump.  
Its comrades ignored its extreme and incredibly quick growth spurt. Not only did it grow wider, but taller too. Much, much taller. It towered above the other undead until it burst through the ceiling. The bubbling subsided and the new enhanced creature's skin turned deep purple, completing its transformation.  
It bellowed furiously and crashed out of the building. Its fellow Deadlings followed the hulking giant outside. Behind them an array of animals rushed into the not-so fresh air tainted with the stench of death and decay.  
One such animal was a bat. A vampire bat to be exact. The small broown mammal flapped wildly about until it tightly grasped the giant corpse's forearm. It paid no attention whatsoever to the attached bat as it bit into a thick vein and hungrily lapped up the blood that seeped out.  
In response, the diseased blood mixed with the digestive juices of the bat and another dangerous reaction occured. The defenseless animal screeched and dropped to the ground. It began to twitch violently and started to grow rapidly in size.  
It took on a more humanoid form, like that of a teen-sized monkey (a monkey the size of a human teenager I mean), with glowing red eyes, long claws and teeth and blue-gray skin. Its spine protruded slightly through the tight-fitting skin on its back, which kept it from standing completely erect. It had a gaunt face with constricted nostrils that flared every time it took a deep breath.  
The newest breed of undead lifted its gruesome head and sniffed the air. It caught a whiff of human flesh. It hissed loudly and took off in the direction of the biggest concentration of human population. The other zombies to notice to their comrade's hiss and followed it at a speedy pace, eager to devour the living.  
  
A/N: So, what did ya think? R&R SVP if you don't mind! Like I said before, no flames. Thanks! 


	2. The Barrier Fails

Disclaimer: I don't own DOD nor do I own the zombies (except the Juggernaughts and Vampires). I do own the characters in this fanfic but not the mall or the stores in it. Oh yeah, I don't own Pizza Hut either.  
  
A/N: Woohoo! I got a review! I know, the vet medicine thing is really dumb and kinda desperate. But, like I said in my bio, I write anything that pops into my head (I have a bad habit of not thinking things through ^_^;) Sooo... here's the first official chapter in my saga. Don't bother looking on a map for the streets 'cuz I just made them up, k? Cool. Read on.  
  
Chapter 1: The Barrier Fails  
  
Kimberly drove her silver Pontiac down the street lined with big houses, fenced in yards and perfect lawns. At the corner of Main and Elm stood her own white-shingled, black-roofed home. She parked her car in the driveway beside the two-story house.  
Kimberly Henson was a single 28-year old mother who lived with her twins, Jerry and Monica, and their grandfather. It was difficult taking care of two youngsters and an elder, while managing a job, paying the bills and shopping for food and clothes. But she was determined to provide for her family, especially with the undead virus going around what was left of the US.  
No one knows where the virus came from or how to keep it from spreading so quickly. The most logical method was to eliminate any zombie creatures seen. The only thing the citizens could do was to hope that the military's border barriers around the country remained strong. Outsiders couldn't come in and insiders couldn't leave. If any Deadlings, as they were called, came within the army's line of fire, they were immediately dealt with.  
Kimberly unlocked the door and stepped inside, juggling the load of groceries she had bought last minute. She dumped the bags on the kitchen table and collapsed into a chair, completely exhausted from work.  
It was Saturday and the Pizza Hut downtown was always packed on weekends. Babies wailing, kids running through the whole restaurant, adults wrestling their children into their seats and one old guy who couldn't make up his mind on what he wanted to eat. Ten hours of utter mayhem was enough to wipe anybody out.  
"Mama!"  
Jerry and Monica came barreling down the stairs and into the kitchen. They jumped into Kimberly's lap and gave her a big bear hug. They slid off to let her stand up.  
"Hey you two, where's Grandpa?" she asked them as she hurried around the kitchen to start cooking supper.  
"Grandpa was reading in his room", Monica answered, "But I think he's asleep now."  
"Should we wake him up?" Jerry asked.  
"No, let him rest. Supper won't be ready for a while."  
"Okay!" the twins answered in unison.  
  
There was a slight breeze in the air but the thick canopy blocked most of it. It was humid out as the sun began to set behind the tops of the trees. The forest dwellers were returning to their dens and nocturnal creatures were readying themselves for the nightly hunt.  
Below, on the grassy landscape, camouflaged in the thin part of the woods was a group of soldiers. Their uniforms clung to their sweaty skin as they continued patrolling the perimeter, like they had been doing since early morning. They would take turns walking down to the nearest highway, watching for any signs of Deadlings heading for the border, then return with no news of enemies.  
"This is absolutely pointless", a tall, burly man with a buzz cut muttered, leaning coolly against a tree.  
"Stop complaining, Port", a much shorter soldier said, "You're just adding to the boredom."  
"Tch, whatever."  
"Yo Port! It's your turn!" An average-looking man with short black hair, sunglasses and a slight tan came out from the trees. He had his rifle securely in his hands.  
"Dwayne, do you have to wear those glasses everywhere?" Port asked, annoyed with his partner.  
"As a matter of fact, yes", he answered, taking a seat on the grass.  
Port muttered something the others couldn't hear and trudged off to check the edge of the woods for the umpteenth time.  
An hour later, he reached the ditch that separated his sector from the usually busy highway. It was one of the main roads that lead to Canada but since the ban of outsiders, it had become dead and useless. Across it, Port could see an empty field of long, uncut grass that dipped into a hill and disappeared into another forest.  
He shook his and head sighed. "Once again, nothing but grass, trees and a road with nobody on it. The commander is an idiot to think something's gonna be coming this way."  
Port turned around, ready to head back to camp, when a tremor in the ground made him freeze. He gazed out at the darkening horizon, searching for the cause of the tremor. He couldn't find anything but he felt the ground shake again. This time he heard the faint noise, like something was crashing its way here.  
He grabbed his rifle and aimed into the darkness. More tremors came, each one caused by a booming noise that got louder and louder until it was equipped with a thousand pounding feet. Port got ready to pull the trigger at the slightest sign of movement.  
All of a sudden, he heard a screech rip through the silence. The shocks and booming noises redirected themselves and headed away from his location, to his right. He put down his rifle in uncertainty. After about a minute or two of silence, he proceeded to return to camp.  
But a scream of terror sliced through the air. Then another, followed by gun shots. Port looked up towards the direction of the screams. It was his camp.  
"Dammit!" he shouted, loaded his rifle and ran off.  
But he knew he wouldn't be able to make it in time. It was too far away, but he kept on going. His friends were in trouble.  
But, unfortunately, he was right. By the time he reached the camp and hid behind a tree for cover, his comrades were stumbling about with looks of hunger on their faces and gashes covering their carcasses. Port took a moment to collect himself from the sight.  
How can they be this smart? he thought to himself, I thought these Deadlings were as dumb as posts! How could they have known to come here? It's so far away.  
But his thoughts were interupted when a hiss sounded. He looked up and traced the noise to a very strange looking creature. It had a nasty blue complexion, blood-specked hair, yellowed teeth, a tattered military uniform... wait, uniform! That thing was one of his own friends!  
Port watched this mutated form of undead crawl about, as if confused about what to do next. Then, another one just like it but more animalistic jumped down from a branch in the trees. It landed, surprisingly, without making a sound. It opened its wide mouth and let loose a roar. The Deadlings seemed to respond to its call by focusing their attention on it.  
The vampire-like monster beckoned for Port's friend to follow it as it leaped through the trees. The once human soldier followed in the same manner and all the Deadlings ran after them, arms outstretched like they do when they sense food near.  
Port breathed a sigh of relief, thankful they didn't spot him. But he still felt for the loss of his close friends. He slid to the ground and hung his head. Then an unusual thought creeped into his mind. The Deadlings acted as if those... those Vampires were their leaders. And speaking of Vampires, where'd they come from anyway? These and many other questions whizzed through his head, all of them without answers.  
Port stood up, still a little uneasy from the scare. He gripped his gun tightly and was about to make his way into the woods and after those things when a shadow fell over him. He turned around and was staring at the bulging knees of a giant. He looked up until he could see the beady little eyes of the zombie standing before him.  
"Holy shit!" he shouted, right before the creature bellowed at him and brought its fist crashing to the ground.  
Port jumped out of the way just in time. He started firing at the monster's grossly disproportioned head. He was the deadest shot in his rank and scored all direct hits. But the giant zombie continued to advance on him. Port tried shooting again, this time aiming for all its vulnerable points. Still nothing affected it.  
Port got ready to fire again, but he realized that he had run out of ammo. He looked up at the giant and was crushed under its disgusting foot. His scream was cut short and when the zombie retreated into the woods, following the scent of the Deadlings, he was nothing but a bloody mass of broken bones.  
  
A/N: As with the prologue, please R&R as soon as possible. No flames but constructive criticism is allowed. Thank ya kindly! 


	3. The Virus Spreads

Disclaimer: Do I need to say it? I don't own anything 'cept da characters, me and my video games. Yay video games!  
  
A/N: Thanks for the reviews peoples! You are definitely right, this does sound like Resident Evil. Hm... oh well. All these "diseased zombies" movies and games pretty much have the same plot. There's always a small gang of people that have to escape a giant herd of mutated corpses and decaying undead creatures with worms crawling through their brains and blood oozing out of their sickening gashes... wowee. I do love violence! Yay violence! Okay, to get back on track, here's the next chapter.  
  
Chapter 2: The Virus Spreads  
  
That night Jerry had trouble going to sleep. The four-year old couldn't get comfortable and continued to toss and turn. His sister was sound asleep in her own little bed next to his. Jerry opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling through the darkness.  
His mother was more stressed and tired these days. She used to take him and his sister to the park with Grandpa to play and get some fresh air on Sundays. She'd buy them ice cream and then they'd feed the little fish bread crumbs in the park's pond. But now there seemed to be no time to have fun anymore.  
He sighed and pulled the covers over his head to shut out the world. Turning over on his side, he once again tried to go to sleep. But a bang on the front door made him jump to his feet. He scrambled to his sister's bedside and began to shake her awake. She didn't budge. Monica was an extremely heavy sleeper like Kimberly.  
"Moni! Moni, wake up!" he whispered and shook her harder.  
She stirred in her sleep and her eyes fluttered open. "What?" she asked, rolling over to face Jerry.  
"Did you hear the noise?" he asked her.  
Another bang hit the door, louder this time. Monica sat upright in bed. "Now I heard it", she said fearfully.  
"Come on, let's get Mama." Jerry took Monica's hand and pulled her out of their bedroom.  
The two twins stumbled through the dark hall, listening to the pounding on the door, until they reached Kimberly's room. Jerry knocked on the door. "Mama?" There was no answer.  
"Louder!" Monica said.  
Jerry knocked a little louder this time. "Mama, can we come in?" Still no answer.  
All of a sudden, the door took one more hit before flying off its hinges, creating an enormous amount of racket. The kids began pounding on their mother's bedroom door with all their might.  
"MAMA!" they wailed.  
  
Kimberly awoke with a start to the ruckus her children were making outside in the hallway. She yawned and climbed out of bed. She put on her house coat, tied it, slipped into her slippers and opened the door. Jerry and Monica thundered past her and jumped into her bed, shaking under the covers.  
"What's wrong with you two?" she asked, taking a seat on the bed.  
"Mama something's in the house!" came the muffled cry of Monica.  
"What? Oh come on, stop--"  
But Kimberly was interupted when she heard some crashes downstairs and vicious growls. She scooped up her children and tiptoed down to the living room. From there, she could see the open doorway. And through there, she saw smoke billowing from neighboring houses, people running for their lives and... Deadlings.  
She started to panic, as did her twins. She hurried through another doorway at the back of the living room, which led to her father's bedroom. But her nightmares had come true. There was the old man, only he was almost completely torn apart, surrounded by three or four zombies.  
Jerry and Monica started to cry, which caught the attention of the intruders. They bared their gross, uncared for teeth and, with outstretched arms, charged. Kimberly screamed and ran in the other direction. But she tripped on the broken front door before she could reach the exit.  
She fell flat on her face and the twins were sent sprawling across the hall. Innocent little Monica was the closest to the ravenous pack. They hungrily dove upon her. Her screams alerted Kimberly.  
"Dammit! Leave her alone!" she shouted angrily and picked up a rather large piece of wood that came with the door.  
She jumped onto one of the zombies and shoved the splinter into its eye. She drove it in as deep as she could before she was knocked off the corpse by its comrades. She sat up, her usually well-kept blonde hair hanging in front of her eyes in a tangled mess.  
"Mama!"  
Kimberly turned her attention to her son, who was currently crawling away from the Deadlings as they advanced, their newest member, Monica, included.  
She bolted towards him and grabbed him before the undead could lay a finger on him. She was out the doorway within a matter of seconds, but not before taking her car keys on the front table near the door.  
Outside was total hell. Fires, crashed cars, electrical wires flailing on the ground, people screaming and trying to run, Deadlings causing chaos and death. It was horrible to watch. Kimberly looked over her shoulder and saw the Deadlings coming out of the house. Monica was in front of the pack.  
That small spark of optimism, joy and innocence in her blue eyes had vanished. Instead, an icy cold emptiness replaced it. She was nothing but a husk, emotionless and without any free will. Only her appetite for the living kept her dead body walking, and right now, she had her sights set on her own family.  
Kimberly tore her eyes away from the sight and struggled to open the car door. She set Jerry down in the passenger seat and climbed in after. The Deadlings broke into a run. Kimberly slammed the door shut and locked all four. The zombies crashed into the side of the car, beating it with their hands, unable to get inside. Kimberly started the car and squealed out of the drive way.  
"Mama, where we going?" Jerry asked, still sniffling.  
Kimberly sighed sadly as she drove past more death and destruction and more Deadlings and their half-eaten lunches rising from the ground. "I don't know honey, I really don't know", she answered.  
There was a silent pause that lasted at least five minutes. Kimberly was only giving half of her attention to the road. The other half was focused on the fact that she lost her father and daughter in one day. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't see the stop sign, or the car speeding straight for her side of the car.  
At the last minute, she finally saw it, but it was too late. The red vehicle crashed into her own and sent it flying end over end until it finally skidded to a stop thirty feet from its starting point. Both cars were trashed, one with a crushed hood and the other with broken windows, mirrors and dents galore.  
Kimberly opened her eyes to see the world upside down. She realized the car had flipped over. She forced the door opened with great difficulty and pulled Jerry out of the wreckage. He was still breathing but had a huge scrape over his left eye and some minor cuts on his arms.  
Kimberly looked around for a place to run to and saw a motorcycle lying on its side. It was still intact and looked safe enough to ride. Kimberly hurried over to it. She lifted it to its wheels and set Jerry on the back seat. There weren't any helmets and wasn't any time to look for some.  
A couple of Deadlings had just spotted her and were heading her way. She jumped onto the bike and turned the keys. The engine spluttered and died down.  
"Not now!" she said angrily, desperately trying to get the bike to start.  
The Deadlings were getting closer and closer, eager to devour her and Jerry. Kimberly turned the keys one more time. The engine spluttered, roared loudly once and finally stayed on.  
"Yes!" Kimberly cheered. She took off a split second before the zombies reached out to grab her and sped away.  
She headed down a road surrounded by overgrown fields of grass. This was the street she took to go to the big mall for clothes and the like. She figured, no she hoped it would be safe for her to stay there, away from this nightmare.  
  
A/N: All I ask from you is that you review. 


	4. An Escape Route to Sears

Disclaimer: Just take what I said in the previous chapters and stick it here.  
  
A/N: Whew, I rewrote it okay! I hope none of you read that atrocity of a chapter I had posted. My stupid laptop was being stubborn and everything got glued together in a jumbled mess that was impossible to read. So I had to fix the whole thing on my home computer. So, here's the good copy.  
  
Chapter 3: An Escape Route to Sears  
  
Kimberly had been driving the loud and noisy motorcycle for God knows how long through the night. The stupid headlight was busted and she was driving blindly. She hoped nobody would jump out in front of the bike.  
Jerry was still out like a light and she was still struggling to control her panic. She was a little embarrassed about the fact that she was in her pajamas riding on a Harley, then she realized that who gives a damn? Practically everyone's dead... sort of.  
She sighed. The world was slowly beginning to fall apart. As the Deadlings continued to rampage the land and infect more people, the human population was dropping. Protection against the zombies decreased, leaving the remaining living vulnerable to attack.  
  
"Mama, can we go to the park?" Monica asked, tugging on the cuff of her mother's jeans.  
"Of course, honey", Kimberly answered, "Go get your brother and Grandpa."  
Monica grinned and ran off to find Grandpa and Jerry. Kimberly finished drying the plate in her hands. She put it away and grabbed her purse from kitchen table. She reached inside for her keys and headed for the front door. Her two eager little twins were already hopping up and down, ready to go. Her father was waiting for her, his polished wooden cane gripped in his hand.  
"We're going to the park! We're going to the park!" the kids chanted happily as the family walked the two blocks to the park.  
They arrived in no less than ten minutes. Jerry and Monica immediately bolted for the slide. Kimberly took a seat on a bench with her father. She took out a little book to read from her purse.  
"Innocent little rascals, aren't they?" he commented.  
"Yeah", she answered, "I hope they stay that way, without a father and all."  
"Oh give it up, Kim!" he snapped, "He was a bastard to begin with."  
"Dad", she said, turning to the elderly man, "Shut up about him."  
Her father remained silent, surprised by her outburst. He thought for a minute then opened his mouth to say something.  
  
"WATCH OUT!"  
Kimberly snapped out of her trance to see a man waving for her attention in the middle of the road, right in front of her speeding motorcycle. A woman ran out from the grass and knocked him off his feet to get him out of the way. Kimberly hit the brakes but leaned a little too far to the right.  
The bike tipped over, bucking Kimberly and Jerry off. It spun out and skidded into the grass, setting it ablaze in a roar of fire. Kimberly grabbed Jerry, who was bawling at the top of his lungs, and scrambled to the other side of the road. The bike's engine blew up, spitting pieces of itself into the air like miniature comets.  
Kimberly cradled Jerry in her arms, trying to calm him down. She looked over her shoulder. Sitting on the ground were the two strangers. They were both on the police force. Their blue uniforms were tattered and dirty, as were their faces. The man was clutching his leg, which was poorly bandaged with a torn rag. The brunette woman looked bruised and beaten. Her bun had stray hairs sticking out of it. She also had a gun in her belt.  
"What were doing out in the middle of the road?" she asked them.  
"What do you mean 'what were you doing'!" the policewoman shouted, "Dan was trying to signal you and you just kept going!"  
"Sorry", Kimberly mumbled, "I was kinda lost in thought. I didn't hurt you, did I?"  
Dan shook his head. "Nah, this was when our car crashed because of those demons from Hell", he answered.  
"They're spreading out to the northeast", his partner said, "You're heading to Sears, right?"  
Kimberly nodded. "It's still safe, isn't it? I mean, those things aren't smart enough to go there are they?"  
"Well, if you had half a brain crawling with maggots I don't think you'd be smart enough to do anything 'cept obey your hunger", Dan answered.  
"Look, I'd love to stick around and chat but we got company", the policewoman said and pointed.  
Out of the tall grass came about a dozen or so Deadlings, each one more horrifying than the next. Their yellow eyes glinted in the firelight. Their grim faces looked more gaunt and sunken in with the dancing light on them. The four survivors heard their growls and hisses.  
The woman jumped to her feet and pulled out her gun. She aimed at the undead monsters and fired twice. She hit her mark both times.  
"Get going already!", she yelled over her shoulder.  
The Deadlings charged for them. Kimberly helped Dan to his feet and they were about to leave the scene when a gunshot sounded. It was too loud to come from Sergeant Deadeye's little pistol. Wherever it came from, the shot hit and blew off half a zombie's head.  
Headlights blinded the gang. They squinted through the light at the remaining corpses, who were shot down before they had any time to react to the newcomer. When the Deadlings lay in a grotesque heap, the vehicle screeched to halt in front of Kimberly and the officers. It was a blood- splattered van driven by a bald middle-aged man with a moustache. The back door slid open.  
"Get in!"someone shouted from the back, "They're heading this way!"  
Kimberly and company wasted no time. They jumped inside their savior's rescue van and slammed the door shut behind them. Dan locked it tight and collapsed into one of the seats. But their second of relaxation was disturbed when the driver floored it. The wheels squealed against the asphalt and everyone in the back was launched forward.  
Once the ride began to smooth out, Kimberly took a seat, still shaking a bit. Jerry was clinging to her like a baby monkey and didn't look ready to loosen his grip anytime soon. One of the riders from the back climbed to the front. He was a young teenager, probably somewhere around seventeen, with spiked brown hair and amber eyes. His shirt was hanging from his body, torn and bloodstained. Kimberly saw a bandage around his chest. His jeans were a little too big for him and kept slipping down. He held a shotgun in his hands.  
"Kent, you got anymore shells on you?"he asked.  
The big, burly man behind the wheel, Kent, reached over and searched the glove compartment for more bullets. He found some and tossed it over his shoulder. The kid caught them and took a seat next to the window behind Kimberly.  
"Hey", he said.  
"Hi", she said, "Was that you shooting?"  
"Uh huh", he answered and loaded the gun, "My dad used to take me hunting in the country when I was a kid. I picked it up from him."  
"Okay everybody, listen up!"Kent shouted to us, "We're headin' for Sears. Since we're gonna be survivin' together, I think we should all get acquainted. So, I'm Kent. Call me Cueball and I'll beat ya till yer black an' blue."  
"Zander's the name, dishing out revenge is my game", the boy said, shouldering his shotgun.  
"I'm Chloe", an elderly woman sitting way at the back of the van said quietly. She looked shy, but very athletic for an old lady with gray hair.  
"Dan", the officer said, leaning on his seat's armrest.  
"Officer Daniels", the unknown policewoman announced.  
"Stacey is a little uptight sometimes", Dan said.  
Stacey glared at him but remained silent.  
"Alrighty then", Kent said loudly, looking at through his rearview mirror, "We should be arrivin' in fifteen minutes er so. So buckle up, button yer yaps and save whatever shells ya got on ya fer emergencies."  
Everyone nodded back. This was going to be long ride.  
  
A/N: Just letting you know, Sears is the name of the mall closest to me. And one more thing, review! 


	5. Moving In

**Disclaimer:** I don't own one, Dawn Of The Dead, and two, the stores or the mall.

**A/N: **Uh, well...um, hi? (sheepish grin) Soooo... long time no see everybody. Heh, how's everybody been doing? Well, I finally remembered that I had left you all waiting for me to continue my story (dodges sharp objects being thrown) I'm sorry! Really I am! Dun hurt meeeee! If you do, I can't finish this right? So, let's get right back into the story, shall we? (you: Stop stalling! me: (dodges more deadly weapons) eep!)

Chapter 4: Moving In 

"Stop shootin' already! I'll run 'em down!" Kent shouted over the squealing the van was making and Zander's gunshots.

Zander obediently pulled his head back in and reloaded his gun. Jerry was trembling in Kimberly's arms as she tried to stay balanced in the rocking vehicle. Kent was driving like a maniac, running down groups of Deadlings as the mall came into view, determined to keep them all safe. He was an excellent driver in the current situation and remained calm and collected throughout the rough ride.

"Here's the plan!" he said, skidding around a tight corner, "I'll bring her up to the loading dock at the back of the mall 'n' get out first to cover you. Stacey, you're out first with Dan, then Kimberly with the shells, then Chloe with Jerry. Zander will cover you as you make fer the door. Boy, when I come 'round the front, jump out and keep them zombies at bay. I'll hurry to the front and break down the door if needed. Everyone got it?"

They all nodded silently. Kimberly reluctantly passed Jerry over to Chloe at the back.

"Mama?"

"Don't worry Jerry, I'll be right in front of you, okay?" she said reassuringly.

Jerry nodded just as the bloodstained van screeched to a stop. Kent kicked open his door and tensed himself, guns raised and ready to fire. Zander yanked open the side door and Dan hobbled out supported by his colleague. Kimberly grabbed the small duffel bag containing two more pistols and a few bullet magazines. Hoisting it over her shoulder, she ran after the officers ahead. She heard shooting and Jerry crying again.

"Go, go, go!" Kent shouted.

Zander leaped out from the van and they all bolted for the peeling metal door leading inside. Kent got there first and blasted the lock off the door. He smashed through with his shoulder and Zander ushered everyone through before hurrying himself, shooting down Deadlings in the process.

On the way there, the roads seemed calm and clear of all rancid corpses. But somewhere along the way, an inhuman and otherworldly shriek sounded and then Deadlings came stumbling out into the streets. Kent's instincts took over as he maneuvered through the masses, keeping a straight path towards their destination.

No one made him the leader. He just assumed that position. They all wanted someone to depend on, to help them out of this disaster and help them survive. He seemed to have the most experience and they all instinctively looked up to him for advice. He didn't care. The situation was far too deadly to start an argument about who should be leading everyone.

So now there they were, a small group of ordinary people trying to run from certain destruction through a loading dock at a mall. Zander was knocking off Deadling after Deadling while Kent searched for the way into the main part of the mall. They weaved in between towering stacks of merchandise before Kimberly finally spotted a hallway off to the left.

"Over there!" she said, pointing.

Kent made his way over to it and peered down the hall. There was a door at the end of it and another on the right. Kent looked over his shoulder. The zombies were gaining fast.

"Zander", he said, "Keep the hallway empty. These might not be the way out. The rest o' you, let's go."

They ran down the hallway and reached the two doors. Kent tried the first one. It was unlocked but led into a janitor's closet. He tried the other one. It was locked.

"Everyone stand back!" he warned and blew the handle off.

He kicked open the door and beckoned for Zander to follow. Once everyone was through, he stopped them.

"Alright, Kimberly, you pass the equipment to Chloe and get yerself a gun. Dan, can you walk on yer own?" Kent said.

"Yeah but not fast", he answered.

"Good enough", Kent said, "Stacey you're gonna stay behind with me. We're locking up these bastards."

She didn't move. "What good will that do?" she asked, "What if they break through?"

"It's the only plan we have right now", Kent said to her. He turned his attention to everyone else, "The rest o' you, get somewhere safe. Stacey 'n' I will catch up once we're done here 'n' check all the doors."

Everyone hurried off to find refuge. Stacey reluctantly made her way over to Kent. She pushed the door closed, listening to the grunts and growls of the zombies on the other side. Kent quickly scanned his surroundings and the electronics department.

"Come on!" he said and the two of them hurried over to a few giant screen TVs.

In less than a minute, they had somehow managed to push one against the door. But it wasn't enough. The Deadlings' pounding was making it wobble.

"We need another one", Stacey panted.

They brought back another, a little smaller but it worked. For a little more insurance they piled two more TVs on top of one another before they left the zombies to their useless pounding.

Their first stop was the main entrance to Sears. They broke into some stores and barricaded the doors with odds and ends they found, like crowbars and chains, before leaving and doing the same with all the other entrances. It was a long trek but hopefully, it would be worth it and buy them some time to think of a way out of this mess.

On their way back to look for the others, Kent picked up three sets of walkie-talkies, one for all the adults and Zander. That way they could keep in touch if they got separated.

"Where do you think they'll be?" Stacey asked.

"Probably a gun store fer supplies and better weapons er the food court", Kent answered, "The control room is right above it."

"How do you know?" she asked.

"'Cause, my son worked here as a guard 'fore all this crap happened", he said harshly.

At this, Stacey shut her mouth the rest of the way to the food court. They were successful. The rest of the gang was lounging around on the tables. Zander was playing with his gun, Kimberly nervously bouncing Jerry on her knee, Chloe fiddling with a loose strand of hair and Dan was checking his injury. They all looked up when Stacey and Kent appeared.

"Well? What's our situation?" Dan asked.

"Pretty good considering there are blood thirsty monsters waiting to tear us limb from limb outside", Stacey said, "We checked the doors and there's no sign of any zombies. They're all in the loading dock."

"So what now?" Zander asked, returning to his gun.

"We relax fer now 'n' prepare fer the long haul", Kent replied, taking a seat, "We can get to the control room from here if worse comes to worse."

He pointed to a door sitting in between KFC and Burger King.

"'N' 'fore I forget, I got somethin' fer everyone", he added and tossed everyone a walkie-talkie, "Everyone keep yours at the same setting. We'll use these to keep track o' one another. No one goes to the bathroom alone, gets supplies alone er goes on a walk alone. Understand?"

"Uh, bathroom?" Zander said, raising an eyebrow.

Stacey slapped him upside his head. "You know what he means!" she hissed.

"Ow! Must you be so violent!" he cried, rubbing his head.

She glared at him. "I can be much worse", she growled.

"Knock it off!" Kent bellowed and kept them quiet, "This ain't the time to fight! Unless you wanna become zombie chow I suggest we all get along and fast!"

Kimberly sighed as everyone fell silent. She began to stare out into space, wondering what was going to happen to everyone. She wondered if they would make it alive and how they were going to last on fast food and limited nerves. She felt Jerry fall asleep in her arms and set him down on a chair. Somewhere along the ride, she forgot her stomach, and now it returned to her.

She grabbed her walkie-talkie and gun. "I'm going to the bathroom", she said. Chloe stood up and Kent nodded to them.

They set off to the washrooms down the large hallway towards The Bay. It was an uneventful walk. Nothing special, just total emptiness. After washing her hands, Kimberly came out of the bathroom to find Chloe gone.

"Chloe?" she said. No one answered. "Chloe?" she said louder this time. Still silence.

Worrying a little, she hurried out of the corridor and into the store-lined hall. She looking both ways. "Chloe?" she shouted, her voice echoing. A gunshot answered her call.

"Shit!" she said to herself.

Kimberly fumbled for her walkie-talkie. She rang up Kent first.

"Kent here, what the hell was that? Over", he answered.

"Kent, it's Kimberly. Chloe's gone missing! I just heard a gunshot! I think it's her! Um, over" she shouted into the speaker.

"Ring her up! I'm comin' with Stacey! Over and out", he said.

Kimberly quickly did as she was told. "Chloe? Chloe where are you? It's Kimberly! Answer!" she said, beginning to panic as another gunshot sounded.

She almost dropped the walkie-talkie when she heard a scream followed by a crash coming from deep within The Bay.

"No time to wait for Kent and Stacey!" she said and took off, hoping that she wasn't too late to save Chloe.

**A/N:** Hah! Cliffhanger! I know, I'm evil for doing this to you guys after making you wait so long but just keep your pants on! I'm working on the next chapter as we speak!


	6. Saving Chloe

**Disclaimer:** (sighs) Need I say it? Oh alright! I don't own DOD! There! Happy? And Jack's Bullets is made up. Sears has no gun stores so I needed to stick one in here.

**A/N: **Merci to MorbidMan for the review! Okay, so I left you sitting on the edge of your seat. Chloe's gone missing and when Kimberly hears the gunshots and screams, she sets off to look for her. Will she find the old lady alive? Or just another creature from Hell?

Chapter 5: Saving Chloe

Kimberly barreled down the hallway until she came to the intersection of all the stores. She turned right, ran past the water fountain and quickly hid behind the corner turning towards The Bay.

She peered down the hallway. She did a quick scan of the area. It was totally deserted. Nothing moved and everything was silent. Except... was that a screech off in the distance? Or was her mind playing games with her?

Kimberly gripped her gun tighter and hurried down the hallway, ducking behind the occasional plant and tree outcroppings. She zigzagged between stores until she reached the large offshoot leading to a smaller intersection that connected The Bay with the rest of the mall. But just as she was heading for the archway, she heard some uncoordinated shuffling coming from the other side.

"Chloe?" she asked nervously, keeping the gun aimed ahead of her.

A groan was her answer, then a screech. Kimberly froze as a Deadling came around the corner with a slightly unbalanced stride. A second later, it was bounding down the hallway towards her, arms outstretched and bloody mouth agape.

Kimberly was so stunned that she just stood there, completely frozen. The creature was only a few feet away from her when she returned to reality and pulled the trigger. The shot blew off a chunk of the monster's skull and it tumbled past her onto the floor.

"Shit", she said quietly, staring at the fallen Deadling. It was mutilated beyond belief. Bite marks decorated its skin and its clothes, remarkably similar to those of a security guard, were in shreds. By the looks of it, this had been a man in his thirties when it was alive.

"Well, now we know where the guards are", she said to herself before becoming serious and slowly entering The Bay.

She rotated around, checking every corner before continuing deeper into the store. She was in the perfume department. But even the perfume couldn't cover that horrible smell, the smell that had emanated throughout her hometown that morning. It was the pungent smell of death and decay. Deadlings were about.

She began to wonder if Chloe was alright. She wondered if she was safe, locked up somewhere in the mall away from these devils. Or if she was one of the deadly hoard. Did she become a meal for these beasts and probably joined her friends and family? Kimberly didn't know Chloe well at all as they had just met, but she still felt a pain in her heart at the thought of seeing her, mindless and relentlessly searching for human flesh. Nobody deserved to die like that, if you could call it dying.

While she was lost in her thoughts, Kimberly didn't notice the movement coming from behind one of the counters, or the disgusting crunching. The Deadling lifted its head, its ratty shoulder-length hair sticking to its scalp and sniffed its favorite smell. It leaped over the counter and charged.

Kimberly screamed and frantically shot at it. Three times in the head and it was down for the count. Kimberly stood there, breathing heavily with a look of shock on her face. All of a sudden, something beeped. She jumped about ten feet in the air before realizing it was her walkie-talkie.

"Hello?" she spoke, her voice shaking a bit.

"Kimberly! Where are you? Over." It was Kent.

"Oh, Kent, I'm so sorry I took off", she apologized quickly, "I just went to look for Chloe. I got worried. Over."

"Forget about it. Where are you? Over."

"In The Bay. I haven't found her, but I did find security", she answered, "They're all... dead. Over."

There was a silence on the other end. "Damn, we're comin' to help you, Kimberly. We don' wanna lose you too", he said, "Over 'n' out."

Kimberly put the walkie-talkie away before walking away from the decaying zombie. She had to find Chloe and fast. She decided to try and phone her again.

"Chloe? Hello? Chloe, answer me! Over", she said loudly.

There was a long silence on the other end. Finally, Kimberly heard a crackling sound. She waited impatiently.

"Hello? ...is this?" Chloe had answered.

"Chloe! It's Kimberly, where are you?"

"I'm... bookstore. Barricaded... might need... many Deadlings... trapped", came her broken up voice.

"I'm coming Chloe! Hang on!" Kimberly said and bolted for the bookstore as fast as possible.

She said there were a lot of Deadlings. Security guards for sure but the mall wasn't big enough to have that many guards. Maybe there were people in here already? But the stores were closed when they arrived. All this thinking was making Kimberly's head hurt.

She heard something break, like wood cracking, and multiple gunshots. And they were very close. It had to be Chloe. Kimberly picked up speed until she saw the crowd of vicious Deadlings trying to push their way inside the mall's bookstore.

"Shit, shit, shit", Kimberly said to herself and aimed at one of them.

She pulled the trigger, killing it and alerting the others. They took a moment to debate about whether they wanted to struggle to squeeze into the store or just run like mad at Kimberly. They headed right for her.

Some fell to the ground as they came, killed by gunshots from inside the store. Kimberly began to back up as she fired. She saw Chloe emerge from the mess behind the zombies. Her clothes were dirty with blood and her hair had fallen out of her bun. Now her gray elbow-length hair dangled down her back and shoulders and she had a crazed look on her face, making her seem like psycho killer.

Kimberly tried to think of how that could be possible, since she seemed like a quiet old grandmother not too long ago, when she heard a loud bang from behind her and watched a zombie's head get blown clean off. She turned around and saw Stacey and Kent running towards her, both toting brand new shotguns. She watched them finish off the seven or eight Deadlings that were left.

"Sorry we're late", Kent said, "Jack's Bullets was havin' a sale on shotguns today. Two for the price of none."

"But, where'd those Deadlings come from?" Chloe asked, approaching the others.

"I have no idea. We barricaded all the doors", Stacey answered.

"Maybe they found another way in?" Kimberly thought out loud.

"Well, if they did find a way in, then we're not safe here", Kent said, "We better go warn the others to keep an eye out for more of the damned monsters."

They all nodded and ran off towards the food court, their senses on overdrive. Kimberly was starting panic a bit, but she swallowed it. Panic was the enemy and would easily get her killed. She had to stay calm.

They reached the food court and found everyone staring at them. Not to mention the fact that they looked as pale as ghosts.

"Mommy!" Jerry cried and bolted towards Kimberly.

She picked him and cradled him lovingly. He was trembling violently. She sat down in chair and rocked him in her arms.

"So? What's going on?" Zander asked Kent.

"There's Deadlings in here", the man answered, sitting down.

"What? But... shouldn't we get to the roof then?" Zander asked.

Kent shook his head. "Nah, not yet", he said, "All the food's down here, plus we got other supplies like flashlights and ammo. We'll go when things get real messy 'round here."

"What do we do now?" Dan asked.

"Dunno, just try and relax, I suppose", Kent said, leaning back in his seat, "Not like there is much ta do."

Kimberly sighed. Jerry had finally calmed down. She wished this was just a dream, a horrible nightmare that she could wake up from. Then everything would be okay. Everything would be back to normal and Monica and her father would be alive. They could all go to the park for ice cream, and laugh and talk together again. But she knew it was just wishful thinking. This was real, not matter how much she didn't want it to be.

**A/N: **Read and review. Plain and simple.


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